Central station integration of patient data

ABSTRACT

A method for displaying medical data includes receiving physiological data from a first medical monitoring device. The physiological data is obtained on a continuous basis. Physiological data is received from a second medical monitoring device. The physiological data from the second medical monitoring device is obtained on a non-continuous basis. The physiological data received from the first medical monitoring device and the physiological data received from the second medical monitoring device are displayed on a central display station. The central display station is located centrally within a care unit of a caregiving facility.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. Non-Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 13/440,698, filed Apr. 5, 2012 and titled “CentralStation Integration of Patient Data”, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

In a medical setting, patient data may be obtained via variousworkflows. In one workflow, physiological sensor devices are physicallyattached to a patient and patient data is continually monitored from thephysiological sensor devices. In another workflow, spot or episodic datais obtained from a patient, typically by a nurse or other clinician atintervals dictated by the workflow and by an acuity level for eachpatient.

Patient data obtained on a continuous basis is commonly displayed on acentral display station so that clinicians can easily view vital signsbeing monitored for the patient. Patient data obtained on a spot orepisodic basis is often manually entered on a patient chart or stored ina computer system. Clinicians needing to view both patient data obtainedon a continuous basis and patient data obtained on a spot or episodicbasis often need to access multiple computer systems, display stationsor documents in order to view both types of patient data.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the disclosure are directed to systems and methods fordisplaying medical data. Physiological data is received from a firstmedical monitoring device. The physiological data is obtained on acontinuous basis. Physiological data is received from a second medicalmonitoring device. The physiological data from the second medicalmonitoring device is obtained on a non-continuous basis. Thephysiological data received from the first medical monitoring device andthe physiological data received from the second medical monitoringdevice are displayed on a central display station. The central displaystation is located centrally within a care unit of a caregivingfacility.

The details of one or more techniques are set forth in the accompanyingdrawings and the description below. Other features, objects, andadvantages of these techniques will be apparent from the description,drawings, and claims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an example system that supports integration of continuousand episodic physiological data for a patient at a central displaystation.

FIG. 2 shows an example user interface of the central display station ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows an example layout for a display tile of the user interfaceof FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 shows an example screen shot for a display tile.

FIG. 5 shows components of the example system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 shows components of the example system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 shows a screen shot of an example device detail screen thatincludes a display of physiological data for a patient processed by theintegrated review module component of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 shows a screen shot of an example patient review screen.

FIG. 9 shows another screen shot of an example patient review screen.

FIG. 10 shows a screen shot of a patient alarms screen.

FIG. 11 shows a screen shot of example controls used on the reviewscreens of FIGS. 8 and 9.

FIG. 12 shows an alternate embodiment for the system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 13 shows an example flowchart of a method for providing anintegrated display of continuous and episodic physiological data for apatient on a medical display station.

FIG. 14 shows an example flowchart of a method for implementing anintegrated review function.

FIG. 15 shows example physical components of the central display stationof FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is directed to a system and methods forintegrating continuous and episodic data from a patient at a centraldisplay station.

In example embodiments, the central display station receives patientdata from one or more monitoring devices that receive continuousphysiological data for the patient. The central display station alsoreceives patient data from one or more spot or episodic devices thatobtain physiological data from the patient from spot or episodicmonitoring devices, for example a portable vital signs measurementdevice. The continuous physiological data and the episodic physiologicaldata are integrated and displayed at the central display station.

The central display station is typically located at a central locationwithin a care unit of caregiving facility (e.g., hospital or clinic),for example at a central nurse's station, so that the physiological datamay be easily viewed by clinicians. A care unit is an area of thecaregiving facility in which patients are treated and monitored. Inexample embodiments, a caregiving facility may have one or more centraldisplay stations located at hubs or nurses areas in care unitsthroughout the facility so that caregivers can easily access the centraldisplay stations to monitor multiple patients at once. In thisdisclosure, episodic physiological data refers to physiological dataobtained on a non-continuous basis. In this disclosure, the terms“episodic” and “spot” are used interchangeably.

FIG. 1 shows an example system 100 that supports integration ofcontinuous and episodic physiological data for a patient at a centraldisplay station. The system 100 includes a continuous monitoring device102, an episodic monitoring device 104, and a central display station106.

The continuous monitoring device 102 may be physically connected to thecentral display station 106 or may be connected to the central displaystation 106 via a wireless connection. The episodic monitoring device104 is typically connected to the central display station 106 via awireless connection. More than one continuous monitoring device 102 andepisodic monitoring device 104 may be used.

The example continuous monitoring device 102 is a monitoring device thatreceives physiological data from a patient on a continuous basis,typically at millisecond intervals. Continuous physiological data istypically obtained for acute patients, for example from surgicalpatients or from post-surgical patients in an intensive care unit.Examples of continuous physiological data include blood pressure,temperature, pulse rate, oxygen saturation level (SPO2), end tidalcarbon dioxide (ETCO2) and respiratory rate. Other types ofphysiological data are possible. The physiological data is typicallydisplayed on the continuous monitoring device 102, which is typicallylocated near the patient. An example of a continuous monitoring deviceis the Welch Allyn 1500 Patient Monitor from Welch Allyn, Inc. ofSkaneateles Falls, N.Y.

The example episodic monitoring device 104 is a monitoring device thatreceives physiological data from a patient on an episodic or spot basis.Episodic data is typically obtained for less acute patients, for examplea patient recovering from surgery but out of intensive care. For thesepatients, physiological data may be obtained via a vital signs devicethat may be manually operated by a clinician, for example by a nurse ora certified nursing assistant (CNA). Examples of episodic data obtainedfrom the vital signs device include blood pressure, temperature, pulserate and SPO2. Other examples of episodic data are possible. Episodicdata such as blood pressure, temperature, pulse rate and SPO2 may alsobe obtained on a continuous basis. However, when this data is obtainedat specified intervals, for example when a nurse manually takes apatient's blood pressure and temperature, the data is designated asepisodic data. For example, a nurse may manually obtain an oxygensaturation reading by manually clipping an SPO2 sensor to the patientand monitoring the SPO2 via a vital signs device. An example vital signsdevice is the Connex® Vital Signs Monitor from Welch Allyn, Inc. ofSkaneateles Falls, N.Y. Intervals are typically specified by physicianorders or care unit protocols.

The example central display station 106 includes a continuousconnectivity service module 108, an episodic connectivity service module110, a continuous patient data service module 112, a central displaystation user interface 114, a client services module 116, a continuouspatient data store 118 and a vital signs database 120. In examples, thecontinuous patient data store 118 and the vital signs database 120 maybe stored on databases external to the central display station 106.

As shown in FIG. 1, physiological data from the continuous monitoringdevice 102 is processed by continuous connectivity service module 108.The example continuous connectivity service module 108 providesconnectivity services for continuous monitoring of devices such as thecontinuous monitoring device 102. Example connectivity services providedby the continuous connectivity service module 108 include receiving androuting continuous physiological data for a patient to applicationsoftware for displaying the continuous physiological data on userinterface 114 of the central display station and for storing thecontinuous physiological data in a continuous patient data store 118 andin a vital signs database 120.

Physiological data from the episodic monitoring device 104 is processedby episodic connectivity service module 110. The example episodicconnectivity service module 110 provides connectivity services forepisodic monitoring devices such as the episodic monitoring device 104.Example connectivity services provided by the episodic connectivityservice module 110 includes routing episodic physiological data for apatient to application software for displaying the episodicphysiological data on user interface 114 of the central display stationand for storing the episodic physiological data in the vital signsdatabase 120.

The example continuous patient data service module 112 is an applicationprogramming interface (API) used by the continuous connectivity servicemodule 108 to store continuous physiological data for the patient in thecontinuous patient data store 118. API commands from the continuousconnectivity service module 108 are used to store the continuousphysiological data for the patient in the continuous patient data store118. In addition, as explained later herein, API commands from thecontinuous patient data service module 112 are used to retrievecontinuous patient data from the continuous patient data store 118 andprovide the continuous patient data to central display station userinterface 114.

The example central display station user interface 114 provides a userinterface for the central display station. The user interface includes aplurality of display tiles that display physiological information forpatients, as explained in more detail later herein.

The example client services module 116 provides support for storage,retrieval and modification of data entries, including, but not limitedto patients, visits, episodic tests, user accounts and deviceconnections. Access to the client services module 116 is via APIstypically provided by a dynamic link library (DLL), referred to as aclient framework, not shown in FIG. 1.

The example continuous patient data store 118 is a repository forphysiological data received from continuous monitoring device 102 andfrom other continuous monitoring devices. The physiological data storedin the continuous patient data store 118 can be later retrieved fordetailed display on the user interface of the central display station106.

The example vital signs data base 120 is a repository for physiologicaldata received from episodic monitoring device 104 and from otherepisodic monitoring devices. The physiological data stored in the vitalsigns database 120 can be later retrieved for detailed display on theuser interface of the central display station 106.

FIG. 2 shows an example user interface display 200, as provided by thecentral display station user interface 114. The user interface display200 includes a plurality of display tiles 202-204. Each of the displaytiles 202-204 provides a display of physiological data for a patient.Typically, each of the display tiles 202-204 displays physiological datafor a different patient. The physiological data can include bothcontinuous physiological data and episodic physiological data. Theexample user interface display 200 includes 36 display tiles, organizedinto six rows of six display tiles each. Other example display tileconfigurations include 24 display tiles organized into four rows of sixdisplay tiles each and 48 display tiles organized into eight rows of sixdisplay tiles each. Other configurations of display tiles are possible.

FIG. 3 shows the example display tile 202 in more detail. The displaytile 202 displays physiological data for one patient. The display tile202 includes a timestamp 304, episodic parameters 306, 308 andcontinuous parameters 310-320. The continuous parameters 310-320 areupdated on a continuous basis, typically at one second intervals. Thetimestamp 304 displays a timestamp indicating when the episodicparameters 306, 308 were last updated. The episodic parameters 306, 308display episodic physiological data, for example non-invasive bloodpressure (NIBP) and temperature. Each episodic parameter 306, 308displays physiological data for a different episodic parameter. Thecontinuous parameters 310-320 display continuous physiological data, forexample respiration rate and oxygen saturation (SPO2).

FIG. 4 shows an example screen shot of a display tile 400 correspondingto display tile 202. The display tile 400 includes a room identifier 402for the patient, a name of the patient 404, an icon 406 representing thesex of the patient, a timestamp 408, episodic parameter 410corresponding to non-invasive blood pressure, episodic parameter 412corresponding temperature, continuous parameter 414 corresponding toend-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2), continuous parameter 416 correspondingto an integrated pulmonary index (IPI), continuous parameter 418corresponding to pulse rate (PR), continuous parameter 420 correspondingto respiration rate (RR), continuous parameter 422 corresponding tovenous calibrated total hemoglobin (SPHBV) and continuous parameter 424corresponding to oxygen saturation (SPO2). Other episodic and continuousparameters are possible.

FIG. 5 shows an example system 500 that includes components of thesystem 100 of FIG. 1 used in a data acquisition aspect of system 100 forobtaining and storing continuous and episodic data for a patient. In theexample system 500, physiological data obtained on a continuous basisfor a patient is sent to the continuous connectivity service module 108.The continuous connectivity service module 108 sends the continuousphysiological data for the central display station user interface 114for display on a display tile, for example display tile 202, of the userinterface 200 of the central display station 106. The continuousconnectivity service module 108 also sends the continuous physiologicaldata for the patient to the continuous patient data service module 112.The continuous connectivity service module 108 also sends episodic datacollected from a continuous device to the vital signs database 120 usingclient services 116, as discussed later herein.

The continuous connectivity service module 108 uses one or more APIcommands to send the continuous physiological data for the patient tothe continuous patient data service module 112. The continuous patientdata service module 112 uses file system API commands to store thecontinuous physiological data for the patient in the continuous patientdata store 118.

The continuous connectivity service module 108 also sends the continuousphysiological data for the patient to client service module 116. Theclient service module 116 uses API commands, typically SQL commands, tostore the continuous physiological data in the vital signs database 120.As discussed, the vital signs database 120 stores episodic physiologicaldata for a patient. However, some physiological data collected from acontinuous device may also include episodic type data. For example,pulse rate may be obtained on an episodic basis when a nurse or CNAmakes rounds and manually obtains the pulse rate of a patient. However,pulse rate is also obtained during the process of measuring oxygensaturation (SPO2). Because pulse rate data is available from themeasurement of SPO2, that pulse rate data is also stored in the vitalsigns database 120.

As another example, NIBP may be measured manually by a nurse or CNA butmay also be automatically taken at intervals, for example when anautomatic blood pressure machine is connected to the patient. Pulse rateis typically obtained by automatic blood pressure machines whenmeasuring blood pressure. The pulse rate obtained on an interval basisby the automatic blood pressure machine is stored in the vital signsdatabase 120 in addition to blood pressure obtained from spot vitalsigns measuring devices.

In the example system 500, physiological data obtained on an episodicbasis for a patient is sent to the episodic connectivity service module110. The episodic connectivity service module 110 uses one or more APIcommands to send the episodic physiological data to the client servicesmodule 116. The client services module 116 uses API commands, typicallySQL commands, to store the episodic physiological data for the patientin the vital signs database 120.

FIG. 6 shows an example system 600 that includes components of thesystem 100 of FIG. 1 used in an integrated review aspect of system 100for retrieving and displaying continuous and episodic data for apatient. The integrated review aspect of system 100 permits a clinicianto display a more detailed view of patient physiological data than isavailable from a normal display tile, for example from display tile 202.The integrated review aspect of system 100 is more detailed in terms ofhistorical data. The normal display tile generally shows only a currentvalue of the patient physiological data. The integrated review aspect ofsystem 100 may show historical data going back multiple days, therebypermitting a clinician to view more recent data in the context ofhistorical data values.

The system 600 includes an example integrated review module 602 thatintegrates continuous physiological data stored in the continuouspatient data store 118 with episodic physiological data stored in thevital signs database 120. The integrated review module 602 displays theintegrated continuous and episodic physiological data for a patient on adetailed display tile of the user interface 200 of the central displaystation 106. The integrated review module 602 also permits a display ofalarms for a patient and provides continuous and episodic physiologicaldata for a patient in graphical timeline and tabular formats.

In system 600, the integrated review module 602 receives physiologicaldata obtained for a patient on a continuous basis from the continuouspatient data store 118. A request is made via API commands to thecontinuous patient data service module 112. The continuous patient dataservice module 112 uses file system API commands to obtain thecontinuous physiological data from the continuous patient data store 118and send the continuous physiological data for the patient to theintegrated review module 602.

The integrated review module 602 also receives physiological dataobtained for a patient on a spot or episodic basis from the vital signsdatabase 120. A request is made via API commands and a client frameworkto the client service module 116. The client services module 116 usesdatabase commands, typically SQL commands, to obtain episodicphysiological data for the patient from the vital signs database 120 andsend the episodic physiological data for the patient to the integratedreview module 602.

The integrated review module 602 integrates the physiological datareceived from the continuous patient data store 118 and the vital signsdatabase 120 and supplies the integrated physiological data to the userinterface of the central display station 106. Integrating thephysiological data refers to identifying and processing continuous andepisodic physiological data with common time positions and presentingthe continuous and episodic physiological data for display. Integrationmay also involve correlating some physiological data from the continuouspatient data store 118 and the vital signs database 120.

For example, a pulse rate may have been obtained from a NIBP measurementstored in the vital signs database 120 and from a SPO2 measurementstored in the continuous patient data store 118. The integration resultsin a display of the pulse rate in a correct time position in relation toother physiological data occurring during a common time period. Theintegrated physiological data may be displayed on a device detail screenor on one or more review screens, as explained later herein.

Processing the physiological data from the continuous patient data store118 and the vital signs database 120 also involves up-sampling ordown-sampling the physiological data. Large amounts of physiologicaldata may be stored in the continuous patient data stored 118 and thevital signs database 120. For example, physiological data for a patientfrom one or more physiological sensors may be obtained at shortintervals, for example at one second intervals, on a continuous basis.This amount of continuous data can be too much data to be effectivelydisplayed on the user interface of the central display station 106.

For this reason sampling is used. Down-sampling involves displaying onlya portion of the data stored in the continuous patient data store 118 orthe vital signs database 120. Down-sampling refers to sampling at ahigher sampling rate to display less physiological data on a chart orgraph. Up-sampling refers to sampling at a lower rate to display morephysiological data on the chart or graph. For example, when a clinicianwants to see a high-level summary of the physiological data, for exampleat hour intervals, down-sampling may be used. When a clinician needs tofocus on a portion of the physiological data, for example at one secondintervals, up-sampling may be used.

The integrated review module 602 typically comprises two layers—aplug-in module and an integrative review service. The plug-in moduletypically provides a user interface for displaying the one or morereview screens. The integrative review service provides applicationsoftware for integrating and processing the review data. In someembodiments, the user interface functions and the integrative reviewservice both reside on the central display station.

In other embodiments, the integrative review service may reside on aserver computer and the plug-in functionality may reside on a laptop orother portable computer. When the plug-in functionality resides on thelaptop or other portable computer, the laptop or other portable computeracts as a thin client. A thin client refers to a small applicationrunning on the laptop or other portable computer. When physiologicaldata is transferred between the laptop or other portable computer andthe server computer, the physiological data transferred comprisessampled physiological data. Performing integration and processing of thephysiological data on the server computer and transferring down-sampledphysiological data to the laptop or other portable computersignificantly reduces the amount of physiological data that needs to betransmitted, improving the user experience and reducing demands on thewireless network that typically interconnects those devices.

FIG. 7 shows a screen shot of an example device detail screen 700 thatincludes a display of physiological data for a patient processed by theintegrated review module 602. The device detail screen 700 includes aname 702 of a patient, a gender 704 for the patient, a patient type 706,in this case an adult, a patient ID 708, a room/bed number for thepatient, 710, a date of birth 712 for the patient, an age 714 of thepatient and a display of physiological parameters for the patientincluding IPI (integrated pulmonary index) 716, SPO2 (oxygen saturation)718, SPHBV (venous calibrated total hemoglobin) 720, PR (pulse rate)722, RR (respiration rate) 724, ETCO2 (end-tidal carbon dioxide) 726,NIBP (non-invasive blood pressure) 728, and temperature 730.

The example device detail screen also includes data 732 such as height,weight, pain indication and BMI (body mass index) for the patient, alarmthreshold ranges for the patient such as an alarm threshold range 734 of50-200 for pulse rate and an alarm threshold range 736 of 10-30 forrespiration rate. More or fewer details and physiological parameters maybe displayed.

The example device detail screen 700 also includes an example reviewbutton 738. When the review button 738 is selected, a review screen isdisplayed. The review screen permits a clinician to display alarms thathave occurred for the patient and tabular or graphical displays ofcontinuous and episodic physiological data for the patient. In addition,the review screen includes controls that permit refinement of thetabular and graphical displays of the continuous and episodic andphysiological data for the patient. An example of a graphical display isa timeline showing changes in the continuous and episodic physiologicaldata over time.

FIG. 8 shows a screen shot of an example review screen 800. The examplereview screen 800 includes three tabs—a flow sheet tab 802, a continuoustrends tab 804 and a patient alarms tab 806. When the example flow sheettab 802 is selected, trends of episodic physiological data for thepatient are displayed. When the example continuous trends tab 804 isselected, trends of continuous physiological data combined with episodicdata for the patient are displayed. When the example patient alarms tab806 is displayed, recent alarms in both continuous and episodic data forthe patient are displayed. In review screen 800, the flow sheet tab 802is selected.

The flow sheet tab 802 includes three controls 808, 810, 812 that permitrefinement of the trend episodic physiological data displayed on thereview screen 800. History control 808 permits selection of a historytime period for the episodic physiological data. The history time periodrepresents a time range for which the episodic physiological data isobtained from a vital signs database, for example from vital signsdatabase 120.

Every entry of episodic physiological data stored in vital signsdatabase 120 includes a timestamp. The history time period represents arange of time for which entries are retrieved from vital signs database120. As shown in FIG. 8, episodic physiological data is retrieved fromthe vital signs database 120 for a period of time corresponding to thelast 24 hours. Other time periods are possible, including for example 48hours, 72 hours, 96 hours, seven days, one month and six months.

Timespan control 810 permits selection for a timespan for the display ofepisodic physiological data for the patient. The timespan represents arange of time that is actually displayed on the review screen 800, inthis case 8 hours. By adjusting scroll bar 820, up to 8 hours of trendepisodic data may be displayed. Other time spans are possible, forexample 1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours, 8 hours, 12 hours and 24 hoursTimespans of 8 hours or 12 hours may be default timespans, correspondingto typical lengths of a nurse's shift.

Time window control 812 shows a time window corresponding to thetimespan selected by control 810. For example, the length of control 812corresponds to a period of 8 hours. A user can move the position of timewindow control 812 to select other 8 hour time intervals within thehistory data available, in this example within a 24 hour period.

The trend episodic physiological data displayed in review screen 800provides example episodic physiological parameters including TEMP, NIBP,PR, SPO2, pain, weight and height. Values of each of these parametersare provided in tabular form for selected times and dates, including afirst set of displayed values 816 from 03/06 at 15:56:02 to a lastdisplayed values 818 from 03/06 at 15:29:45.

FIG. 9 shows a screen shot of an example review screen 900 showingtrends of continuous physiological data for a patient. In the reviewscreen 900, a continuous trends tab 902 is selected. The review screen900 includes a history control 904, a timespan control 906 and aninterval control 908. The history control 904 permits selection of ahistory time period for the continuous physiological data. The historytime period represents a time range for which the continuousphysiological data is obtained from a continuous patient data store, forexample from continuous patient data store 118.

Every entry of continuous physiological data stored in continuouspatient data store 118 includes a timestamp. The history time periodrepresents a range of time for which entries are retrieved fromcontinuous patient data store 118. As shown in FIG. 9, continuousphysiological data is retrieved from the continuous patient data store118 for a period of time corresponding to the last 24 hours. Other timeperiods are possible, including for example 48 hours, 72 hours and 96hours.

Timespan control 906 permits selection for a timespan for the display ofcontinuous physiological data for the patient. The timespan represents arange of time that is actually displayed on the review screen 900, inthis case 8 hours. By adjusting scroll bar 914, up to 8 hours of trendepisodic data may be displayed. Other time spans are possible.

Interval control 908 permits selection of a frequency for down-samplingcontinuous data from the continuous patient data store 118. Reviewscreen 900 shows a sampling frequency of 15 minutes, indicating thatphysiological data for each continuous physiological parameter displayedon review screen 900 is obtained from the continuous patient data store118 every 15 minutes. If a clinician needed more detailed trend data, ashorter frequency, for example one minute, may be selected. If aclinician wanted less detail, a longer frequency, for example one hour,may be selected

Time window control 916 shows a time window corresponding to thetimespan selected by interval control 908. For example, the length oftime window control 916 corresponds to a period of 8 hours. A user canmove the position of control 916 to select other 8 hour time intervalswithin the history data available, in this example within a 24 hourperiod.

In review screen 900, continuous physiological data and episodicphysiological data are shown in tabular form. Timestamps for trend dataare shown in a column labeled 910. The physiological parameters beingmonitored are shown in a row labeled 912. In this example, thephysiological parameters being monitored include temperature (TEMP),non-invasive blood pressure (NIBP), pulse rate (PR), respiration rate(RR), oxygen saturation (SPO2), end-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2),integrated pulmonary index (IPI) and total hemoglobin (SPHB). The valuesfor the physiological parameters show trends in these parameters overtime.

FIG. 10 shows a screen shot of an example patient alarms screen 1000 fora patient. The patient alarms screen 1000 includes an alarm detail area1002 that lists alarm events for the patient. A time stamp is providedwith each listed alarm, showing a date and time at which the alarm eventoccurred.

FIG. 11 shows example controls 1100 of a review screen for continuoustrends in more detail. The controls 1100 include a history control 1102,a timespan control 1104, an interval control 1106, and a time windowcontrol 1108. The history control 1102 permits selection of a historytime period for continuous physiological data. The history time periodrepresents a time range for which the continuous physiological data isobtained from a continuous patient data store.

The timespan control 1104 permits selection for a timespan for thedisplay of continuous physiological data for the patient. The timespanrepresents a range of time that is actually displayed on the reviewscreen, in this case 8 hours. The interval control 1106 permitsselection of a frequency for sampling continuous data from thecontinuous patient data store. The time window control 1108 providesselection of a time window within the timespan selected.

FIG. 12 shows an example system 1200 that supports integration ofcontinuous and episodic physiological data for a patient at a centraldisplay station and that is an alternate embodiment of system 100 ofFIG. 1. In contrast to system 100 where processing and storage forcontinuous and episodic physiological data are all implemented atcentral display station 106, in system 1200, the processing and storageof episodic physiological data are implemented at server computer 1226.Server computer 1226 includes episodic connectivity service module 1228,client services module 1230, and vital signs database 1232.

Central display station 1204 includes a replica 1220 of vital signsdatabase 1232 and a replica 1212 of client services module 1230. A TCPconnection transfers data between vital signs database 1232 and vitalsigns database replica 1220. Episodic physiological data displayed on auser interface 1210 of central display station 1204 is obtained fromvital signs database replica 1220, which is synchronized via the TCPconnection with vital signs database 1232 on server computer 1226.

As discussed in regard to system 100, central display station 1204 insystem 1200 includes a connectivity services module 1206 that sendscontinuous physiological data to a patient data store 1216 via acontinuous patient data service module 1208. The central display station1204 also includes a central display station user interface 1210 thatreceives continuous physiological data from the connectivity servicesmodule 1206 and displays the continuous physiological data in real timeon a user interface of the central display station user interface 1210.The central display station user interface module 1210 also includes anintegrated review module that includes the same functionality ofintegrated review module 602.

FIG. 13 shows an example flowchart for a method 1300 for providing anintegrated display of continuous and episodic physiological data for apatient on a medical display station. At operation 1302, physiologicaldata for a patent is received from a medical monitoring device thatmonitors one or more physiological parameters for the patient on acontinuous basis. Examples of physiological parameters that aremonitored on a continuous basis include pulse rate, respiration rate andend-tidal carbon dioxide. An example of a medical monitoring device thatmonitors physiological parameters for a patient on a continuous basis isthe Welch Allyn 1500 Patient Monitor.

At operation 1304, physiological data for a patent is received from amedical monitoring device that monitors one or more physiologicalparameters for the patient on an episodic basis. Examples ofphysiological parameters that are monitored on an episodic basis includetemperature and non-invasive blood pressure. An example of a medicalmonitoring device that monitors physiological parameters for a patienton an episodic basis is the Connex® Vital Signs Monitor from WelchAllyn, Inc.

At operation 1306, both the continuous and episodic physiological datareceived for the patient are displayed in real time on a display screenof a central display station, for example central display station 106.The continuous and episodic physiological data is integrated anddisplayed together on the same display screen.

At operation 1308, the continuous physiological data is stored in acontinuous patient data store, for example continuous patient data store118. At operation 1310, the episodic physiological data is stored in avital signs database, for example vital signs database 120.

At operation 1312, a device detail screen is displayed on the centraldisplay station 106. The device detail screen is displayed when a userclicks on a display tile, for example display tile 202 on the userinterface 200 of the central display station 106. Physiological data forthe patient is obtained from the continuous patient data store 118 andthe vital signs database 120 and displayed on the display tile 202.

At operation 1314, an integrated review function is implemented on thecentral display station. In examples, the integrated review function isimplemented by clicking on a review button on the display tile 202. Theintegrated review function permits the display of patient alarms and oftrend data for continuous and episodic physiological data for thepatient.

FIG. 14 shows an example a flow chart for a method 1400 for implementingan integrated review function. At operation 1402, a review functiondisplay screen is displayed on the central display station 106. Anexample review function display screen is provided by review screen 800,shown in FIG. 8.

At operation 1404, an episodic review trends tab is selected on thereview function display screen. On review screen 800, the episodicreview trends tab corresponds to flow sheet tab 802. Selection of theflow sheet tab 802 results in a display of trends in episodicphysiological data, as shown in review screen 800.

At operation 1406, a history time period is selected on the reviewfunction display screen. On review screen 800, control 808 is used toselect the history time interval. The history time period represents atime range for which episodic physiological data is obtained from vitalsigns database 120. A history time period of 24 hours is shown as beingselected on review screen 800.

At operation 1408, a time span period is selected on the review functiondisplay screen. On review screen 800, control 810 is used to select thetime span period. The timespan represents a range of time that isactually displayed on the review screen 800, in this case 8 hours. Byadjusting scroll bar 820, up to 8 hours of trend episodic data may bedisplayed.

At operation 1410, a time window is selected on the review functiondisplay screen. On review screen 800, control 812 is used to select thetime window. The time window indicates a length of time corresponding tothe timespan selected by control 810. For example, the length of control812 corresponds to a period of 8 hours. A user can move the position ofcontrol 812 to select other 8 hour time intervals within the historydata available, in this example within a 24 hour period.

At operation 1412, a continuous trends tab, for example continuoustrends tab 804, is selected on the review function display screen.Selection of the continuous trends tab displays a continuous trendsreview screen, showing trends in continuous physiological data for apatient. An example continuous trends review screen is shown on reviewscreen 900 in FIG. 9.

At operation 1414, a history time period is selected on the continuoustrends tab. On review screen 900, history control 904 is used to selectthe history time interval. The history time period represents a timerange for which episodic physiological data is obtained from vital signsdatabase 120. A history time period of 24 hours is shown as beingselected on review screen 900.

At operation 1416, a time span period is selected on the continuoustrends tab. On review screen 900, timespan control 906 is used to selectthe time span period. The timespan represents a range of time that isactually displayed on the review screen 800, in this case 8 hours. Byadjusting vertical scroll bar 914, up to 8 hours of trend episodic datamay be displayed.

At operation 1418, a presentation period time interval is selected onthe continuous trends tab. On review screen 900, interval control 908permits selection of a presentation period time interval. Thepresentation time period corresponds to a sampling frequency forsampling continuous data from the continuous patient data store 118.Review screen 900 shows a sampling frequency of 15 minutes, indicatingthat physiological data for each continuous physiological parameterdisplayed on review screen 900 is obtained from the continuous patientdata store 118 every 15 minutes.

At operation 1420, a time window is selected on the review functiondisplay screen. On review screen 900, control 916 is used to select thetime window. The time window indicates a length of time corresponding tothe timespan selected by control 908. For example, the length of control916 corresponds to a period of 8 hours. A user can move the position ofcontrol 916 to select other 8 hour time intervals within the historydata available, in this example within a 24 hour period.

At operation 1422, a patient alarms tab is selected on the reviewfunction display screen. On review screen 800, patient alarms tab 806 isselected. Selecting the patient alarms tab displays a patient alarmsscreen. An example patient alarms screen is patient alarms screen 1000,shown in FIG. 9. The patient alarms screen 1000 provides alarminformation for the patient and highlights the alarm in a highlightingcolor, typically red or yellow.

FIG. 15 illustrates example physical components of the central displaystation 106. As illustrated in the example of FIG. 15, the centraldisplay station 106 includes at least one central processing unit(“CPU”) 1502, a system memory 1508, and a system bus 1522 that couplesthe system memory 1508 to the CPU 1502. The system memory 1508 includesa random access memory (“RAM”) 1510 and a read-only memory (“ROM”) 1512.A basic input/output system contains the basic routines that help totransfer information between elements within the central display station106, such as during startup, is stored in the ROM 1512. The centraldisplay station 110 further includes a mass storage device 1514. Themass storage device 1514 is able to store software instructions anddata.

The mass storage device 1514 is connected to the CPU 1502 through a massstorage controller (not shown) connected to the bus 1522. The massstorage device 1514 and its associated computer-readable data storagemedia provide non-volatile, non-transitory storage for the centraldisplay station 110. Although the description of computer-readable datastorage media contained herein refers to a mass storage device, such asa hard disk or solid state disk, it should be appreciated by thoseskilled in the art that computer-readable data storage media can be anyavailable non-transitory, physical device or article of manufacture fromwhich the central display station can read data and/or instructions.

Computer-readable data storage media include volatile and non-volatile,removable and non-removable media implemented in any method ortechnology for storage of information such as computer-readable softwareinstructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Exampletypes of computer-readable data storage media include, but are notlimited to, RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other solid statememory technology, CD-ROMs, digital versatile discs (“DVDs”), otheroptical storage media, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic diskstorage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which canbe used to store the desired information and which can be accessed bythe central display station 110.

According to various embodiments of the invention, the central displaystation 110 may operate in a networked environment using logicalconnections to remote network devices through the network 1520, such asa local network, the Internet, or another type of network. The centraldisplay station may connect to the network 1520 through a networkinterface unit 1504 connected to the bus 1522. It should be appreciatedthat the network interface unit 1504 may also be utilized to connect toother types of networks and remote computing systems. The centraldisplay station 110 also includes an input/output controller 1506 forreceiving and processing input from a number of other devices, includinga keyboard, a mouse, a touch user interface display screen, or anothertype of input device. Similarly, the input/output controller 1506 mayprovide output to a touch user interface display screen, a printer, orother type of output device.

As mentioned briefly above, the mass storage device 1514 and the RAM1510 of the central display station 110 can store software instructionsand data. The software instructions include an operating system 1518suitable for controlling the operation of the central display station110. The mass storage device 1514 and/or the RAM 1510 also storesoftware instructions, that when executed by the CPU 1502, cause thecentral display station 110 to provide the functionality of the centraldisplay station 110 discussed in this document. For example, the massstorage device 1514 and/or the RAM 1510 can store software instructionsthat, when executed by the CPU 1502, cause the central display station110 to display the user interface 200 screen and other screens.

The various embodiments described above are provided by way ofillustration only and should not be construed to limiting. Variousmodifications and changes that may be made to the embodiments describedabove without departing from the true spirit and scope of thedisclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for displaying medical data, the methodcomprising: receiving first physiological data from a first medicalmonitoring device, the first physiological data being obtained on acontinuous basis; receiving second physiological data from a secondmedical monitoring device, the second physiological data being obtainedon a non-continuous basis; displaying the first physiological data andthe second physiological data on a display tile of a display screen of acentral display station; allowing selection of a review function button;and as a result of receiving selection of the review function button:displaying a first trend display for the first physiological data beingobtained on the continuous basis, the first trend display being a firsttable including a plurality of data points from the first physiologicaldata; and displaying a second trend display for the second physiologicaldata being obtained on the non-continuous basis, the second trenddisplay being a second table including a plurality of data points fromthe second physiological data.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein thefirst physiological data is obtained via a first workflow and the secondphysiological data is obtained via a second workflow, the first workflowbeing a workflow in which the first physiological data is obtained on acontinuous basis, the second workflow being a spot workflow in which thesecond physiological data is obtained on a non-continuous basis.
 3. Themethod of claim 2, wherein a portion of the second physiological data isobtained via the first workflow.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein thefirst physiological data and the second physiological data are obtainedfrom a plurality of patients.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein thecentral display station is centrally located within a care unit of acaregiving facility.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first windowincludes detailed physiological data for a patient.
 7. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: selecting a first display tile on thedisplay screen, the first display tile corresponding to a first patient,the selection of the first display tile causing a first window to bedisplayed on the display screen; obtaining third physiological data forthe first patient from a first database, the third physiological databeing physiological data obtained on a continuous basis; obtainingfourth physiological data for the first patient from a second database,the fourth physiological data being physiological data obtained on anon-continuous basis; and displaying the third physiological data andthe fourth physiological data in the first window on the display screen,the first window overlapping one or more other display tiles on thedisplay screen, the first window providing a detailed view of the thirdphysiological data and the fourth physiological data.
 8. The method ofclaim 7, further comprising: as a result of selecting the reviewfunction button, displaying a second window on the display screen, thesecond window permitting the display of the third physiological data andthe fourth physiological data in tabular and in graphical form.
 9. Themethod of claim 8, wherein the second window includes a plurality oftabs, one tab permitting a display of trend data for the thirdphysiological data, a second tab permitting a display of trend data forthe fourth physiological data, a third tab permitting a display ofpersonal alarm data for a patient.
 10. The method of claim 8, whereinthe second window includes a plurality of control buttons, the pluralityof control buttons permitting a selection of an amount of physiologicaldata to be displayed on the second window, permitting a selection of atime and date period for the physiological data to be displayed on thesecond window and permitting a selection of a time interval at whichsamples of the physiological data are displayed on the second window.11. The method of claim 1, further comprising: storing the firstphysiological data in the first database; and storing the secondphysiological data in the second database.
 12. The method of claim 11further comprising opening a display window on the display screen, thedisplay window permitting the display of the first physiological dataand the second physiological data in tabular or graphical form.
 13. Themethod of claim 12, further comprising: receiving the firstphysiological data from the first database; receiving the secondphysiological data from the second database; and displaying the firstphysiological data and the second physiological data on a graphicaltimeline on the display window.
 14. The method of claim 12, furthercomprising: receiving the first physiological data the first database;receiving the second physiological data from the second database; anddisplaying the first physiological data and the second physiologicaldata in tabular form on the display window.
 15. The method of claim 12,wherein the display window includes a plurality of controls that permitselection of a time period for the display of the first and secondphysiological data.
 16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:receiving third physiological data from a third medical monitoringdevice, the third physiological data being obtained on a continuousbasis; receiving fourth physiological data from a fourth medicalmonitoring device, the fourth physiological data being obtained on anon-continuous basis; and displaying the third physiological data andthe fourth physiological data on the display screen of the centraldisplay station.
 17. An electronic computing device comprising: aprocessing unit; and system memory, the system memory includinginstructions that when executed by the processing unit cause theelectronic computing device to: receive first physiological data from afirst medical monitoring device, the first physiological data beingobtained on a continuous basis; receive second physiological data from aserver computer, the second physiological data being obtained on anon-continuous basis; display the first physiological data and thesecond physiological data on a display screen of a central displaystation, the central display station being located centrally within acaregiving facility; provide a first trend display for the firstphysiological data being obtained on the continuous basis, the firsttrend display being a first table including a plurality of data pointsfrom the first physiological data; provide a second trend display forthe second physiological data being obtained on the non-continuousbasis, the second trend display being a second table including aplurality of data points from the second physiological data; permit aselection of a time and date period for the second physiological data tobe displayed on the second trend display; and permit a selection of atime interval at which samples of the second physiological data are tobe displayed on the second trend display.
 18. The electronic computingdevice of claim 17, further comprising: store the first physiologicaldata in a first database; store the second physiological data in asecond database; receive the first physiological data the firstdatabase; receive the second physiological data from the seconddatabase; display the first physiological data and the secondphysiological data in tabular form on a window on the display screen;using a control on the display screen to adjust a sampling rate for thefirst physiological data and for the second physiological data; andusing a control on the display screen to select a time interval for thefirst physiological data and for the second physiological data.